B2B Email Marketing Best Practices

B2B email marketing gives your business the chance to build relationships with prospects, collect data and improve ROI. It is such a powerful tool that, if used correctly, can deliver a message to the right person at the right time. B2B email marketing is such an essential part of any B2B marketing strategy, yet many businesses fail to execute correctly. Remember- you’re sending a message to very busy people who have limited reading time. I know I’ve already trashed a lot of emails to the bin today; you probably have too. So here are a few guidelines to help your business boost leads instead of ending up in the trash:

1. Create engaging and creative content. It seems like a no brainer, but it’s amazing to see how often this is overlooked. I can’t count the amount of times I’ve received an email that lacked design, engaging content OR BOTH! Content sells better than a great offer, and people will respond better to your message if you try to find creative ways to convey the message instead of selling them on it. B2B isn’t just about promoting your products or services; it’s about standing out! As many as 64% of people say they open an email simply because they were intrigued by the subject line. If you think about it…good content means more engagement, more engagement means more leads, more leads means more conversion, which leads to [JACKPOT] more money!

2. It’s more than just selling, it’s a relationship. Sorry to break it to you, but you will not get the action you want from your recipients on the first try. The key to effective B2B email marketing is not to aim for a one-time conversion, but an ongoing relationship. Continued efforts in communication are also important, and it doesn’t have to always be a selling point. Something as simple as changing your call to action link text from “buy now” to “more information” is said to be more effective and will eventually lead to more conversions down the road. You can also nurture your leads by sending prospective clients weekly or monthly emails so that your reader knows there’s a person behind that screen.

3. Pay attention to your audience. Put yourself in the mind of your targets. They’re busy professionals who want quick access to messages that can benefit them and their work. They don’t have the time or luxury to read irrelevant messages. It is important to understand who your target audience is, what their problems are and tailor a message that resolves their concerns at every stage. You can even get specific and segment your messages to select recipients that can include special promotions, event announcements or relevant blog articles. At the end of the day, make sure your recipient’s interests and personalities match that of your own.

4. Have a great landing page. Landing pages are important, should have a clean design with a consistent message and should continue with your email’s purpose. Do not make your readers hunt for what they want! You should make sure that both your email and landing page have a clear and clickable call to action. If you don’t include a clear next step, your readers won’t click through to your end goal. Don’t just only focus on click-through rates, but follow your audience to see if they go to your website, where they go from there and track their online behaviors. The results can help you create a better performing message for next time!

There are some critics out there that say email is dead, but from a B2B perspective, email is more alive than ever before! In fact, Hubspot reports 59% of B2B marketers consider emails as the most effective channel for generating revenue. When considering these techniques, ask yourself “if I were receiving this email, would I read it or delete it?”. Small steps towards improvements go a long way, but we know the process can be challenging. If you’re looking for a solution on how to better engage your audience with improved email marketing skills, you can reach out to our specialized team here at Enventys Partners to help.